AP Environmental Science - Unit 1

The movement of abiotic factors between the living and nonliving components within ecosystems; also known as nutrient cycles (i.e., water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, and nitrogen cycle).

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run off, transpiration, infiltration. Humans impact this by storing water in reservoirs, irrigation, deforestation, and putting chemicals in it

The change of state from a gas to a liquid

The draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again. Humans impact this by burning fossil fuels and cutting down trees,

The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere. Humans impact this by altering the amount of nitrogen that is stored in the biosphere.

The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks.

Cyclic movement of sulfur in various chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment. Humans impact this by burning coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels which greatly increases the amount of sulfur in the atmosphere and ocean and depleted the sedimentary rock sink

Atmosphere, surface water, ground water, and living things

Nonliving components of environment.

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

Where an organism lives and any aspect of the location

Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions